NICE, France (June 30, 2014) — Hélène Pastor, 77, mother of Formula E racing’s Venturi Grand Prix team principal Gildo Pallanca Pastor, was murdered in May after visiting her son in the hospital.

Ms. Pastor and her chauffeur were ambushed in the French city of Nice while on the way to their car by a man with a shotgun.

Her daughter Sylvia Pastor and son-in-law Wojciech Janowski were both detained by police after suspicious financial activity. Brice Robin, a Marseille prosecutor, told reporters that these two individuals are potentially linked to a pair of intermediaries who had contact with suspects in the murders.

The Venturi Grand Prix team is part of the new Formula One series. According to his company’s website,

“Gildo Pallanca Pastor has always had a passion for motor sports, and indeed he himself raced from 1986 to 2000. In 1995 he set a new world ice speed record of 296.34 kph with his Bugatti EB110 Supersport.” He set up and launched several companies including the Formula E racing team.

This report appeared on the website of Autoweek magazine, a Detroit-based sister publication of Tire Business.